Darrell Luzzo, PhD
Vice President of Curriculum Development & Program Evaluation
Dr. Darrell Luzzo serves as Vice President of Curriculum Development and Program Evaluation. In that role he leads curriculum design projects for The Financial Literacy Group’s clients and also provides oversight and coordination of the firm’s research, evaluation, and psychometric analysis activities. This includes comprehensive research of financial literacy initiatives, evaluation of financial intervention strategies, and development and validation of financial literacy-based surveys and assessments.
Dr. Luzzo’s particular expertise in program evaluation, research, and psychometrics stems from his educational background in educational psychology, coupled with two decades of experience researching, validating, and evaluating a variety of educational interventions and success strategies to support K-12 and college students’ career development and financial literacy. Dr. Luzzo is the author of over 60 refereed journal articles, editor of Career Counseling of College Students: An Empirical Guide to Strategies That Work (APA Books, 2000), and co-author of two college student development texts: Making Career Decisions That Count: A Practical Guide (Prentice Hall, 2008, 2002, 1997) and Overcoming the Hurdles to Academic Success: Strategies That Make a Difference (Houghton Mifflin, 2003).
As Senior Vice President of Education at JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) from 2002-2007, Dr. Luzzo provided executive level oversight of the development, evaluation, and validation of K-12 programs designed to enhance students’ knowledge of financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness principles. During his tenure at JA Worldwide, Dr. Luzzo instituted a comprehensive process of program design, development, and evaluation that contributed to the redesign and development of over a dozen K-12 programs. During his time at JA Worldwide, Dr. Luzzo also served on the Planning Committee of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to design and develop the NAEP Economics Exam, served on the item writing committee to develop financial literacy questions to appear on the NAEP Economics Exam, and chaired the National Work Readiness Council, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Luzzo is a former President of the National Career Development Association, having served on the NCDA Board of Directors for five consecutive years (2003-2008). He also served as a member of the Boards of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy and the Character Education Partnership. In addition to his service on these Boards, Dr. Luzzo has held active leadership positions in the American Education Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Counseling Association.
Dr. Luzzo’s career includes executive-level assignments with Laureate Education, Inc.; Strategic Partnerships, LLC; JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement); and Kuder, Inc. Dr. Luzzo’s additional roles in education have included Director of Career Transitions Research at ACT, Inc. as well as full-time and adjunct academic/teaching assignments with several colleges and universities, including Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Iowa, Auburn University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the University of Northern Alabama, St. Ambrose University, and Johnson County Community College
Dr. Luzzo obtained his bachelor’s degree in psychology and his master’s and doctoral degrees in educational psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
